Dance with My Father
by Skyler-Kaiba
Summary: Inspired by a vid on YouTube, this songfic has just as many sad moments as happy moments. Don't say I didn't warn you. Centralized on the father-son bond between Denzel and Cloud. Not decided whether to make it chaptered or a one-shot. Post-DoC


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A/N: I originally intended this to be a one-shot songfic set 12 years after the events of Dirge of Cerebrus, putting Denzel at about 22/23 years old, in which Cloud dies and he is just reflecting back on when he was just a kid and how Cloud and Tifa were like family to him. Also, to me, Marlene appears a little younger than Denzel by about two years, so she would be about 20/21 in this. It may end up being a chaptered story, then again it may not. Depends on reviews. This is also my first Final Fantasy fic, so try to go easy on me with the reviews, okay? Anyway, without any further ado, here is Dance with My Father. Oh and the song belongs to Luther Vandross, not me! No sueing please.

Final Fantasy VII

Dance with My Father

_Back when I was a child_

Denzel Strife, who was now a new recruit in the WRO, stood outside the new headquarters, keeping watch. It was dark out and pretty dead around the base, which left plenty of time for reflection and straying thoughts. He now lived in an apartment complex near the old Shinra manor in Nibelheim with Marlene. He thought back to his childhood, when he had lived with Cloud and Tifa in Edge. The thought made him smirk. They hadn't been the perfect family, as Cloud had been dealing with Aerith's death and the Geostigma afflicting the two of them, but they had still been good times.

_Before life removed all the innocence_

He then remembered when Cloud and the others had been fighting Bahamut Sin. It was a good memory and a bad memory all at the same time. It was a bad memory because he remembered that Tifa had gotten hurt to protect him from the horrible monster. It was because of this that a few years later he had joined the WRO. He was tired of those he cared about dying or getting hurt trying to protect him and wanted to learn to protect himself. It was a good memory because he remembered Tifa describing to him a few days later how Cloud had sliced through the monster with his weapon like butter through bread.

_My father would lift me high_

He remembered how after Cloud had defeated Sephiroth and the Remnants and been saved by the children because of the explosion, the blonde swordsman had been the first to reach out to him to get into the water where Aerith's flowers had been. After a few encouraging words from Tifa, Denzel had taken a few steps into the water before being lifted up by Cloud and placed directly in the center of it. Cloud had dumped the water on his head and all the pain he had been feeling because of the Geostigma had gone away.

_And dance with my mother and me_

It was a few days after that; he had managed to somehow overhear Cloud propose to Tifa. That thought made him smile. It had made him glad to see Cloud finally taking steps to ensure his own happiness. After hearing about everything Cloud and Tifa had been through from Vincent, Denzel felt that more than anyone, they deserved the happiness.

_And then_

The wedding was a year and two days after Cloud and Tifa had gotten engaged, on March 30th. It had been a relatively small affair, with only the priest and all of Team AVALANCHE in attendance. Marlene and Denzel had stayed with the TURKS during the wedding and bugged Reno the whole while. During the honeymoon, Marlene and Denzel stayed in Wutai with Yuffie so she wouldn't get lonely. Although at first, the Wutai had been reluctant to take them in, Yuffie had convinced them to allow it since after all they were only children and needed proper guidance and supervision. After that, Cloud and Tifa returned from their honeymoon with the news they were expecting a child. It had been then that Denzel had offered to live with Barret and Marlene so he wouldn't get in the way.

_Spin me around till I fell asleep_

Although he didn't get to drop by Edge very much, Denzel stayed in contact and would drop in on Cloud and Tifa to help out with the new baby girl whenever he could spare the time. They had named the child Faerith, after Zack and Aerith. (A/n: It's pronounced Fay-rith and consists of the first two letters of Zack's last name and last five of Aerith's first.) She was a beautiful girl, with Cloud's eyes and Tifa's hair, but she could also be a handful. A few times they had let Denzel take care of her while they were on vacation and come home late to find him rocking her gently and spinning around in a circle with her in his arms singing a tune to put her to sleep.

_Then up the stairs he would carry me_

When the girl finally did fall asleep, Denzel carried the small baby up the stairs to her crib in the room that had been formerly his and leave without taking pay. After all, at that time, he was getting paid to do some reconnaissance for the WRO, though no one knew about it except Marlene. A few times, he had gotten injured doing just that and Cloud had personally carried the injured brunette to the room above the bar in Seventh Heaven. Tifa had taken care of his wounds with the first aid kit, and Denzel thanked them profusely before leaving again to go back to the WRO base. He hated being so secretive with those he had once considered family, but it was for their own safety and the safety of their very young daughter.

_And I knew for sure_

_I was loved._

Though Cloud and Tifa had wished that he would tell them what he was doing back then and why he was being so secretive about it, Denzel had never doubted how much they cared for him. After all, if not for them, he'd be all alone. They were, by all rights, his family. Cloud had saved his hide more than once after all, Tifa too. And though he didn't know what Vincent thought of him, Denzel considered him to be like an uncle. In fact, he considered Team AVALANCHE his extended family. Yuffie was like the crazy older sister he never had, Barret was like an uncle as well, albeit a loud one. Cid was like a grandpa to him, as he was older than the rest. Vincent, again, was like an uncle. Albeit a soft-spoken uncle who rarely spoke two words, but the bond was still there. He knew that all of them would gladly give up their lives if it meant he could be safe. If that wasn't love, what was?

_If I could get another chance_

A few years later, Denzel was patrolling when he heard someone scream. It sounded like…Cloud?! No, what was going on? Why would Cloud be…? He shouted, "Cloud! Hang on, I'm coming!" He ran towards the sound of the older man's voice, hoping he wouldn't be too late to help him with whatever he was having trouble with.

When he got there, he found Cloud crouched on all fours over Tifa and Faerith, a sword going through his back and straight through to his heart. Tifa screamed, "NO! Cloud!" She squirmed out from under him and turned to the female shape shifter who had done this. She glared and shouted, "You'll pay for that!" She launched herself at the female, punching her relentlessly in the stomach.

Only moments later, the rest of Team AVALANCE jumped in to help defeat the powerful female. Vincent ran out of bullets and the moment the female realized this, she took advantage of it, smirking as she launched herself at him with her other blade in hand.

It was then that Denzel snapped and fired off his standard-issue pistol, shooting the female before she could even get close to Vincent, "Stop! I won't let you mess with my family anymore!" He shot her several times more before she finally croaked. As he was about to shoot her corpse relentlessly to relieve his inner pain at the thought of losing Cloud, Vincent snatched the gun from his hand, "Go see about Cloud, Denzel. I'll take care of this."

Denzel nodded and ran over to Cloud and Tifa, "C…Cloud, is you okay? Please…say something."

Cloud coughed up blood and said weakly, "Denzel…you're…here."

Denzel gulped back tears and nodded, "Y-yeah. I'm not going anywhere…Dad. Not until you're healed."

Cloud coughed violently, blood gushing from the wound in his chest and told him, "…Looks like it's too late, Denzel…I…"

Tifa shook her head, "No, Cloud! Don't give up! Not yet! Please, I need you! Faerith needs you!" She shook him, "Cloud…please…" Tears were forming in her eyes and beginning to run freely down her cheeks.

Denzel told him, "You're gonna be just fine, you hear me?! We'll get you back to the WRO headquarters and…" At this point, he could tell that it was useless. Cloud was going to die in just a few minutes and there was nothing he could do about it.

Cloud replied, weakly, "Let me tell you this, Denzel….I…I love you…as my own son. The Buster Sword…is yours now. Uphold your honor. And Tifa…I love you too. Tell Marlene…"

Tifa nodded, tears still falling from her eyes as she finally began to accept that Cloud was dying, "I'll tell her, Cloud. I'll tell her you love her like she's your daughter too."

Cloud nodded and placed his hand on Tifa's cheek, softly wiping her tears away, "Don't cry for me, Tifa. I'm…I'm not worth it. I…I love…" He died in Tifa's arms.

Tifa broke down crying, burying her face in Cloud's chest. She whispered, "I…I love you too, Cloud." She continued to cry softly, her cries slightly muffled by her husband's clothing.

_Another walk_

Denzel walked with Faerith to the cemetery a year later, so she could put flowers on her father's grave. He told her, "You know, your father was a great man, Faerith. More than you know. He saved my butt on numerous occasions. And every one of your dad's friends can testify to the fact that he saved their hide at least once too."

Faerith nodded, softly pushing back her raven black hair away from her eyes, "I know. Mom tells me that all the time. Poor mom…she…she spends most of her time crying nowadays. It's rare for her to smile anymore."

_Another dance with him_

Faerith then said, "Y'know, Denzel. My dad came to every single one of my dance recitals, even though he's not into ballet and all that. A couple of times, when I needed help with some of the moves, my Dad would help me out. Or at least, try to. He was never really that good at ballet, but he was able to help me when I had to do some street style stuff, weirdly enough."

Denzel snorted, "Cloud, dancing? I'm sorry; I just think that sounds weird."

Faerith told him, "Well you were never there, smarty-pants, so you wouldn't know. Mom did record it with a camcorder a couple times though, without Dad knowing."

Denzel smirked, "Heh…did he ever find the tapes?"

Faerith shook her head, "Nope….but, mom keeps those locked away now. She doesn't talk about him anymore either. It's almost like…she doesn't want to remember."

Denzel sighed, "That's not it, Faerith. She's just in a lot of pain right now. When she gets over it, I'm sure she'll feel like answering anything you ask her. Cloud really loved her, and she loved him. I saw them dancing as a couple a few times and I can assure you, they were really into each other. You're living proof of their love."

_I'd play a song that would never ever end_

Denzel sighed as he walked past the Shinra manor on his usual rounds to the grocery store and what not. As he was about to walk away, he then noticed a peculiar sound, the sound of a piano. Who was playing? And why had they gone in _there_ to play. Whoever it was really knew what they were doing because it was a beautiful melody. A sad one, to be sure, but still really nice. He headed into the building and found that Vincent was the one playing. He blinked, "…Vincent?"

Vincent continued to play, ignoring Denzel.

Denzel tried again to get him to talk, "Vincent, what's up?"

Vincent sighed and quit playing for a moment, "Nothing. I just felt like playing." He resumed playing again, picking up exactly where he had left off.

Denzel shook his head, "No…something's bothering you. Please, let me in. Tell me what's going on."

Vincent banged his fist on the piano, having lost his concentration because of Denzel. It made a _bwong_ sound on the keys when he did that. He told Denzel, "…I want to be alone, so unless you have a death wish, I suggest you leave."

Denzel sighed, "But…please, Vincent, let me help. If it's about Cloud, stop feeling guilty. What happened to him wasn't your fault!"

Vincent replied, "…All right fine. If it will get you to shut up, I'll tell you _exactly_ what I'm thinking right now. I'm thinking that I should have arrived there sooner. I'm thinking that you should leave. I'm thinking that my own pain and grief is something that no one else should have to share!"

Denzel told him, "…But we do share it, Vincent. You, me, Tifa, Yuffie…everyone. It's not as if you were the _only one _who cared about Cloud! We were all family to him whether he realized it or not!"

Vincent saw the point behind the young man's words and sighed, nodding, "You're right. I'm sorry, Denzel. I just…it just…" For once, Vincent Valentine was at a loss for words.

Denzel replied, "No, its okay. I understand that you want to deal with this in your own way. I was the exact same way with Tifa for a while. She just let me be for a while, but I went to her of my own free will and we talked it out. Have you…had you talked to anyone?"

Vincent shook his head, "No, not yet. I…I don't know who to talk to about this."

Denzel answered, "Yuffie will listen. She listened to Marlene when she wanted to talk about it."

Vincent sighed, "Yuffie has her own issues to deal with, remember? One of which deals with me."

Denzel raised an eyebrow, "You? In what way?"

Vincent replied, "…Well, I asked for her hand in marriage and she was thinking of accepting, but she has to get her father's approval first."

Denzel smirked, "I thought that was it. Anyway, please go talk to someone. Just whoever you would feel most comfortable with. I mean, I think you should talk to Yuffie since you did have the gumption to propose to her. It doesn't have to be her though. Just get the grief out of your system, okay? Otherwise, you'll be left behind."

Vincent blinked, "Left behind…? Please clarify your meaning, Denzel."

Denzel replied, "Oh, well, Tifa, me, Marlene, and Yuffie have already got our pain out. That leaves just you, Cid, and Barret."

Vincent sighed, "I'm sure Tifa has not released _all_ of her pain, but I will talk to Yuffie. Thank you, Denzel."

Denzel smiled, "Sure. Any time."

_How I'd love love love_

_To dance with my father again._

Denzel walked up to the Seventh Heaven bar to check on Tifa for the hundredth time since Cloud had died. Walking in, he looked over at her. She was standing at the bar, wiping it down in her usual manner. Although, she seemed to be rubbing it with excessive force, "Mmm…Tifa?"

Tifa looked up at Denzel, "Hmm? Oh, hi, Denzel. How are you?"

Denzel nodded, "Doing okay. Feeling better than I have in days. And you?"

Tifa sighed and frowned, "…Okay, I guess. Good days and bad days."

Denzel replied, "Still dealing with your grief?"

Tifa responded, "…Yeah. How'd you guess?"

Denzel smirked, "You took care of me for years, Tifa. I'd like to think I've come to know your habits."

Tifa shrugged, "Touché." She continued to wipe down the counter then added, "I miss…"

Denzel looked at her, "What do you miss? Who do you miss, I should ask?"

Tifa sighed and said, "I miss dancing with Cloud. Though he was never really good at it, he never stepped on my foot. I guess he had his SOLDIER reflexes to thank for that. I also miss how he would dance with Faerith. He was so good with her…"

Faerith walked into the room just then, "Yeah, I know. He was always gentle with me. He protected me. A couple of times, I tripped over his foot but he would always catch me. He'd never let me fall."

_When I and my mother _

_Would disagree_

Denzel stood at the entrance to the WRO headquarters with Faerith and Tifa behind him. Faerith had expressed interest in joining the organization, but Tifa was unwilling to let her. Denzel said, "Tifa, she's going to be all right. We always take care of our own. Don't worry."

Tifa shouted, "She is _not_ doing reconnaissance work for you guys! No matter how much she gets paid! I'm not going to risk losing her because you don't have enough undercover spies!"

Denzel shouted back, "Let her do what she wants to do for once! Barret never let Marlene do what she wanted after she started living with him and look where it got her! She's a very young mom working two jobs and barely making ends meet!"

Tifa had a rebuttal ready and yelled, "She's been living with _you_, Denzel! What did you expect?"

Denzel glared at the insult, about to give one of his own, when Faerith stepped in and yelled at them both, "Mom! Stop blaming Denzel for Marlene's bad situation and let me be my own person! Denzel, stop blaming mom for Barret's monopolizing ways! Dad wouldn't want you to…"

_To get my way I would run from her to him_

She gulped back tears, then ran to Vincent, who had been standing there the whole time, "Uncle Vincent, please…convince mom to let me do reconnaissance for the WRO."

Vincent sighed and answered, "Faerith, I can understand why your mother doesn't want you to, but…"  
Faerith cut him off, begging him, "Please, Uncle Vincent!"

Vincent added, "Would you let me finish?"

Faerith giggled, "Sorry…go ahead."

Vincent finished what he was saying, "I understand why Tifa doesn't want you to do the reconnaissance, but I think you should be allowed to be your own person."

_He'd make me laugh just to comfort me_

Faerith giggled again, "See, Mom? Uncle Vinnie agrees with me!"

_Then finally make me do_

Tifa looked at Vincent questioningly, "…Are you serious?"

Vincent sighed, "…Honestly, I have no opinion in this matter. Faerith is not my child."

_Just what my momma said_

Tifa asked, "But if she were, would you let her do something this dangerous?"

Vincent saw her point and replied, "No…but as I said, she's not my child so it doesn't directly involve me at all."

Faerith gasped, "But…Uncle Vinnie, Momma won't let me if you…"

Vincent told her, "I don't care what you do, Faerith, but it's not my opinion that counts. Tifa is your mother and she's only looking out for your best interests. Perhaps for now, you should wait."

_Later that night when I was asleep_

Faerith gave a contented sigh as she fell into a deep sleep in her room (Cloud's old room…) above the Seventh Heaven. She was having a pleasant dream, when she suddenly saw Cloud reflected on the surface of the river in her dream, "Huh? Dad?"

_He left a dollar under my sheet_

Cloud smiled at her and replied, "Yeah, Faerith, it's me. I just dropped into your dream to see how you were doing and how Tifa is."

Faerith sighed and frowned, "…She's not doing good at all…she's depressed almost all the time now and…hey, where are you going? Wait, Dad! Can we have one last dance? Please?"

Cloud sighed and told her, "All right, but just a short one. I'm going to visit your mother's dream now. To try to give her some sense of comfort, okay? I'll leave you something under your pillow though, so you won't get sad. I need you to be strong for your mom, all right?"

Faerith nodded, still smiling, "Yeah…okay, I can do that, Dad. And I'll keep whatever you leave me close to me. Always."

Father and daughter danced around in a traditional waltz. After a little while, Cloud stopped the dance and smiled at her, "Thank you, Faerith." He disappeared from his young daughter's dream and appeared in Tifa's.

Tifa's dreams were quite the opposite of Faerith's. They were not at all pleasant. The sky was a murky gray-black in her dream and Sephiroth's voice was in the background, a haunting reminder of what she had been through in the past and telling her, "He died. It was all your fault. You couldn't even save one man!"

Cloud sighed and spoke to Tifa, his voice overpowering Sephiroth's, "Tifa! Stop this! I don't know what you're thinking, but my death wasn't your fault!"

_Never dreamed that he_

_Would be gone from me_  
It was then that the atmosphere of Tifa's dream began to change. The violent storm clouds that had been plaguing her mind began to break up, bright sunlight and the sky breaking through, a clear blue. She whispered, "Cloud? Is that--?"

Cloud replied, "Yes, I'm here, Tifa, but only for a little while. I came to tell you that you need to get past this. Guilt doesn't suit you. _I chose_ to die protecting you. You didn't force it on me. I would do it again if it meant saving you. I love you…and I don't want to see you miserable. If need be, I'll leave you a little reminder under your pillow every night for the next two years." She heard another voice, the voice of Aerith, "Cloud! Come on, we've gotta get back now!"

_If I could steal one final glance_

Cloud sighed, "Well, you heard her. I've gotta go now, but please…don't be so sad anymore. I want you to be happy, and I know you can do this. I know you can be a good mother to Faerith. You're really strong, Tifa. Never start doubting yourself, ever. Just because you can't see me doesn't mean I'm not there. I'll always live on…" He placed his hand on her temple, "in here…" then placed it on her heart, "And in here. As long as I still live through you, I'll never really die."

_One final step_

Tifa sniffled, "…Okay, Cloud. Thank you." She finally calmed down, "Good bye. I love you."

Cloud nodded, "Yeah, I love you too, Tifa. Bye." He walked away into the bright sunlight, disappearing all together the next moment.

_One final dance with him_

Tifa and Faerith woke up the next morning and each of them found something different under their pillow.

Tifa had a red Materia (red is the color of passion after all…^^; ) in the shape of a heart and Faerith had a blue Materia that matched the color of Cloud's eyes, shaped into a ballet slipper.

The two girls got together and Tifa told her, "Faerith…I'm really sorry for being so hard on you. I guess…I guess I was just afraid of losing you, like I lost your father. But…well, he came to me in my dream and helped me to realize that life's too short. Just please…be careful, okay? Don't go anywhere without Denzel."

Faerith giggled and nodded. She blinked as she heard someone downstairs playing the piano, "…Wow. Who's playing that?"

Tifa blinked, "…You got me. Why don't we go check it out?"

_I'd play a song that would never ever end_

The two females headed downstairs to see who was playing the piano so well and with such a melancholy tune. They soon discovered that it was Vincent.

Tifa gasped and whispered, "…I never knew Vincent could play the piano. Did you know, Faerith?"

Faerith smirked, "Well, yeah, kind of. Denzel told me he found Uncle Vince playing the piano at ShinRa manor once…but he was really depressed then."

Tifa whispered, "I don't think he's depressed now. He seems like his normal self."

Vincent had overheard the two women and told them, "Tifa, Faerith…I am not depressed. I talked to Yuffie and I am feeling quite myself again. I just wanted to play you a song that I wrote for Cloud while I was depressed. I think that, along with talking with Yuffie, helped me get over any depressed feeling I may have had."

Tifa smiled and nodded, "So how did things go with Godo?"

Vincent sighed, "He does not approve of me…"

Faerith replied, cutting him off, "Oh, I'm sorry, Uncle Vince, are you gonna be okay?"

Vincent told the girl, "If I am ever allowed to finish what I am saying when I'm around you…"

Faerith giggled, "Heh heh…sorry. Go on."

Vincent finished, "He doesn't approve of me, but Yuffie doesn't care. She said, and I quote, 'Screw Wutai! I'll be with whomever the hell I want and if I don't get father's blessing, well phooey on him for not realizing what a great guy you are, Vinnie!'"

Tifa laughed, "That's Yuffie through and through. So then, are you two…?"

Vincent blushed and nodded, "Yes, we're engaged."

Tifa sighed, "I wish…I wish that Cloud could be here for this. He'd be really happy for you two. You know that, right?"

Vincent replied, "I am well aware of what Cloud would think." He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Tifa…?"

Tifa smiled, "Oh, I'm okay. Cloud…came to talk to me in my dream. Well, Faerith and me both."

_Cause I'd love love love_

_To dance with my father again_.

Faerith sniffled, "Yeah…and…he…" She was about to start crying again.  
Tifa picked up her daughter and asked, "What? What did he do in your dream, Faerith?"

Faerith replied, "We had…a really special father-daughter dance." ((A/N: Yeah, Faerith is a dancer, so it means a lot more to her than it probably did to Cloud. :P Also, dance moves can easily translate to fighting.))

Tifa gulped back tears of her own at hearing this, but they were tears of happiness, not tears of pain, "That's really sweet."

Vincent nodded, "That was very nice of him. Tifa…did you want to have a memorial service for Cloud? Or a traditional funeral service?"

Tifa responded, "Memorial service…that way, everyone who knew Cloud can say whatever they feel they need to say." Her voice shook a bit.

Vincent asked directly, "When should we have it? It's been a year, plus a day or two…"

Tifa told him, "How about tomorrow? That's when I plan to take his body to the little stream in Aerith's church, so the planet can take him back…"

Vincent answered, "That's perfect. I'll gather the others."

Tifa responded, "Thanks, Vincent."

Vincent nodded and left the area, going to get the others.

_Sometimes I'd listen outside her door_

_And I'd hear how mama would cry for him_

That night, as Faerith was heading to her room to go to bed, she thought she heard something from her mother's room. She went to the door and knocked, but there was no answer. Quietly, she peeked into the room through the crack in the door and noticed Tifa on the bed, crying relentlessly into her pillow. Had she forgotten what Cloud said to her? Or was she just crying because she was nervous about tomorrow? ((A/N: And yes, you can get nervous enough to cry. I've done that once.)) Quietly opening the door the rest of the way, she got onto the bed with her mother and whispered, "Mom? Are you okay?"

_I'd pray for her even more than me_

Tifa answered, "…I'm…I'm fine. I'm just really nervous about tomorrow. What can I say about your father, aside from the fact that I loved him? That he was my world and my light? I'm afraid…I'm afraid I'll start crying too…"

Faerith sighed, "I'm sure you'll do fine, mom. And if you start crying, I'll take over for you, okay?" She held up the heart-shaped Red Materia, which she had grabbed from underneath the pillow, as well as her own Blue Materia. They had both been put on small jewelry chains, Tifa's a gold chain and Faerith's a silver, "Dad's not here physically, no, but he's still with us in spirit, right?"

Tifa collected herself and replied, "Yes, you're right, Faerith. I'm sorry; I kept you from bed. Why don't you go to sleep now? I'll be fine."

_I'd pray for her even more than me_

Faerith nodded, "Okay. Night mom." She left the room and went back to her own, getting into bed. She whispered, "God…Aerith, whoever's out there, please…help my mom have the strength to keep going. Give her the peace she needs."

She then yawned and drifted off to sleep.

_I know I'm praying for much too much_

_But could you send her_

The next day, at Cloud's memorial service at Aerith's church around noon, Tifa, Denzel and Faerith were allowed to speak first, since they were his family.

Tifa gulped and walked up to the podium that Cid had set up. She clutched the Red Heart Materia that Cloud had left her and said, "Cloud…was the best man I ever met. We were friends as children, but he was always too shy to get close to me. I was always the one who would stick up for him when everyone else would pick on him. I think…at that age, it was more of a fascination with him than anything. As time went on, and I got older, Cloud changed. Well, we both did. We lost some dear friends…and went through a lot in those days. I think, in the end, that was enabled us to get so close. He…was always unselfish, never thinking much of himself while always thinking of others. ...The last act of his life was to save my life, and the life of our dear daughter, Faerith, whom we named after two of our dearly departed friends, Zack Fair and Aerith Gainsborough. To uphold his honor and thank him for what he did, my daughter and I will be singing a tribute, the song My Sacrifice by Creed."

Hello my friend we meet again

It's been awhile, where should we begin?

Feels like forever

Within my heart are memories

Of perfect love that you gave to me

Oh, I remember

Tifa and Faerith: When you are with me

I'm free

I'm careless, I believe

Above all others, we'll fly

This brings tears to my eyes

My sacrifice

Faerith: We've seen our share of ups and downs

Oh how quickly life can turn around

In an instant

It feels so good to reunite

Within yourself and within your mind

Let's find peace there

Cause

Tifa and Faerith: When you are with me

I'm free

I'm careless, I believe

Above all others, we'll fly

This brings tears to my eyes

My sacrifice

Tifa: I just want to say hello again

Faerith: I just want to say hello again

Tifa: When you are with me

I'm free

I'm careless, I believe

Faerith: Above all others, we'll fly

This brings tears to my eyes

Tifa and Faerith: My sacrifice, my sacrifice

Tifa: I just want to say hello again

Faerith: I just want to say hello again

Tifa: My sacrifice

Those gathered clapped loudly and whistled for the two, though by the end of the song, both mother and daughter were in tears as they thought of Cloud and his last noble deed.

Yuffie steered the two away from the podium and replied, "…Well, that's a tough act to follow, but I do have something to say about Cloud. He was a great guy, even though he rarely ever smiled. You would know it when he cared about something or someone, more from his actions then from his words. He kept a stiff upper lip, but if you looked really good at him, you'd know the difference between when he was happy and when he was angry. He saved my hide on more than one occasion, and I'm not ashamed to admit that. He was a good friend, a guy you could always depend on. He never let down his friends, and his enemies feared him. Or if they didn't, they came to fear him. That's all I've got time for, so…without further ado, I present to you, Mr. Vincent Valentine!" She pushed Vincent forward.

Vincent sighed, "Yuffie…"

Yuffie giggled, "Go on, Vince! You'll do great! I promise."

Before Vincent could say anything though, Reno came forward, holding something in his hand, "Everyone, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Cloud left the TURKS with one last message for all his friends and allies, in case anything like this happened." He turned to Vincent, "If you don't mind me playing the message that is."

Vincent shook his head, "Be my guest. It's not like what I had to say was that important anyway."

Reno nodded, "Thanks, Vincent. So, without further ado, Cloud's last message." He placed a projector screen on top of the podium and put in the disc that contained the message from Cloud.

_The only man she loved_

An image of Cloud appeared. He said, "My family…my friends and allies. If you are seeing this message, I am probably no longer alive."

Tifa gulped back tears as she saw him again.

_I know you don't do it usually_

Cloud said, "You all meant a lot to me. Yuffie, you were like the annoying little sister that I never had, always getting into trouble, but somehow managing to get yourself out of it with your head still intact. Vincent…you probably understood me better than I understood myself at times. Thanks for being such good friends, you two. I know you'll be perfect together." Yuffie and Vincent both blushed at this. Had Cloud perceived their relationship _before_ passing away? Were they obvious about it or was he just playing with them? Then again, Cloud wasn't stupid. He had probably picked up on it. "Barrett, you were like a father to me after my own father was killed, taking me in like you did. Thank you. Cid, you were like my grandfather, oldest of us…and I guess probably the most worldly-wise. Thank you everyone for all you did for me in my life. Thank you for the memories, and most of all, thanks for watching my back and helping me get my head on straight after Zack died. I don't know what I would've done without all of you. Good bye."

_But dear Lord she's dyin'_

_To dance with my father again._

Tifa finally broke down crying, falling to her knees after the transmission cut off, the pain in her soul brought to light by seeing Cloud again.

Normally, Vincent wouldn't have bothered trying to comfort her, but he knew what she was feeling. It was the exact same feeling he had when he found out Lucrecia had loved Hojo and how he would feel if anything ever happened to Yuffie. He helped her back on her feet and put his arms around her in a comforting embrace.

Yuffie would've normally gotten angry and jealous, but she knew that Vincent was only trying to help. After all, she was hurting from Cloud's death too. She was just doing a very good job of burying her pain to be strong for Tifa.

The rest of Team AVALANCHE all felt that what Cloud said in his transmission summarized (more like overshadowed) what they had been wanting to say in their part of the service.

Tifa, with the help of Barrett and Vincent, lowered Cloud into the water where the flowers had been. Vincent got out and Barrett got out without any problems. Tifa was helped out of the water by Yuffie and Reno. Cloud drifted to the bottom of the small pond of water and was soon absorbed by the planet. She whispered, "Goodbye…"

As if in answer, a voice whispered in her head, 'you're not alone, Tifa. You've got everyone else here, don't forget about them.'

_Every night I fall asleep  
and this is all I ever dream_

Tifa's dreams got more pleasant from then on. In one dream, she and Cloud were on the beach. They had never been to the beach in real life, but dreams could take you anywhere, right? And Cloud had frequented her dreams for the past little while to make his parting less painful on her. After a while, he stopped, but not without saying goodbye.

In her last dream of him, they were in the Nibelheim Reactor, and he said, "Well, Tifa…Aerith told me this is the last time I can visit you in your dreams, so let's make this count, all right?"

Tifa sighed, fighting a frown, but then smiled, "Sure, okay, Cloud. What did you have in mind?"

Cloud smirked, "What do you think?"

Tifa replied, "A hot, heavy make-out session?"

Cloud nodded, "Yes."

Tifa giggled, "You don't have to tell me twice." She tackled him to the stairs and kissed him all over his neck.

Cloud laughed, "Okay, Tifa, okay. My turn." He kissed her neck, then began to suck on it, just a little. The spot where he had left a hickey, was glowing blue.

Tifa blinked, "Uhh…why do I have a glowing blue spot on my neck, Cloud?"

Cloud replied, "Oh…probably cause of the mako. It should go away by morning. And if it doesn't, tell everyone the truth."

Tifa nodded, "You got it. That message was nice of you to leave by the way."

Cloud smiled, "Yeah well, I wanted everyone to know." He sighed, "I hate to cut our time short, but Aerith's calling me. I won't get to see you again after this…so…I love you and goodbye."

Tifa sniffled, then nodded, "Okay, Cloud. Goodbye."  
Tifa awoke with tears on her eyes and a glowing blue mark on her neck.

The mark never did go away, even after a whole week. It was as if Cloud had permanently injected her with some of his mako. Not that she minded, it served as a constant reminder that he still lived on inside her.

* * *

A/n: Well, this was a little longer than I meant it to be, but oh well. As I said in my first note, bear in mind that this is my first Final Fantasy VII fic. R/R!


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